Some New Projects & Fixins' !

Good Monday morning to you all! Hope this week starts off well for you!It's cold here today but supposed to get more mild tomorrow with a high in the 40's! Not like our typical January at all! I have to say that although I am a snow lover, I find just as much pleasure in 2" of snow as  I do 12"! And of course it doesn't interfere with my husband's work too :)  We'll see~~I heard on the news the other night that February and March are actually more snowy months for our part of the country than January is. Soooooo that being said, I'm sure I have jinxed myself ;)

I've been working around here creating a few things and changing some others! I'm so looking forward to hitting some flea markets this Spring. The Elephant's Trunk in New Milford, Connecticut opens in the beginning of Spring and I'm waiting for Stormville in upstate New York. Yesterday we were treated to a visit
from my husband's sister and her husband from Moscow, Pennsylvania. That's in the Poconos. They came down for a visit since we didn't get to see them for Christmas. We had a great brunch with them. I satisfied their appetite for bagels! Apparently you can't get a good bagel out of New York---it must be our water. Anyway, it was great to see them and they too are collectors who are going to Adamstown, PA (aka as the antiques capital of the country) in two weeks. They try to go every couple of months and have picked up great stuff! They collect vintage stoves, roosters, and advertising products especially. I was showing them some of my finds from Stormville and the various garage sales I went to this summer and all the stuff my son brings home. We had a really nice time and plan to meet them for a future trip to Adamstown.
 Incidentally, they gave us a 20 ft flag pole for Christmas! My husband will be cementing that into the ground this Spring! They always come up with unique gifts!
I've been doing some sewing and did a few pictures that I now have to frame. Some are done with some vintage appliques (flowers) and the others are vintage buttons. I just can't leave them in a can--they're too pretty! The cat buttons I had purchased at Michaels several years ago. Speaking of cats, checkout Mommy Cat and Red Cat snoozing on my couch....not a care in the world those lucky devils.
Did some rearranging in my hallway (the teddy bear shelf pictures) and finally put up my Holly Hobbie plates! Yahoo! I've had them for three years! Always tryng to expand my Holly Hobbie collection! I just love her so much and it brings back the happiest memories of my happy 70's childhood! I tookout the Holly Hobbie sewing machine. Not sure if she's working. I'll have topost that photo in the future! SAdly, I never got to the attic to take down Holly Hobbie stove before Christmas like I had wanted but you can be sure that I will be getting her down just as soon as I can get my husband to put the ladder in the loft of the garage! You see, we've filled our shed already and now we have the top floor of the garage filling up...oh, and I have a couple of huge storage closets upstairs that are not for clothes but for MY stuff...I'd rather fill my closets with goodies than a wardrobe!
The pictures that show the blue box that says CORN is filled with straw and I added my old vintage roosters. I have a bunch of these cute roosters and chickens. I got the box at Christmas Tree Shop. Always bargains there! You can go in with hardly any money and always come out with stuff!
I redid the flower arrangement in the americana milk can. I added the porcelain birds on the branches. Love how that looks. I've had a really creative week! Right next to the chair I refinsihed recently and what's that behind it...that white swirl...looks like a poltergeist to me....maybe I disturbed the ghost that was relaxing in the chair when I snapped the picture. Sorry ghosty!
I want to give a shout out to Carol of Old Glory Cottage! She left a comment on my last post and I have been a fan of her blog for ages!!! One of the first ones I read back in 2009. We all need to go to the estate sales and garage sales Carol goes to! AND what a talent she has for displaying crafting! Illinois is the place for vintage. Check out all the stuff she finds. It's slim pickings in our stores for good stuff like she finds!

Well, I did have a good week  finishing up some odds and ends! I hope to keep the flow going! Have a glorious day and as my little picture says, remember your many "BLESSINGS"!

Snowy Saturday!

Good Evening! As predicted we got some snow today! I was excited it came but also a little disappointed because we were supposed to go to a post Christmas family party at my sister-in-law's home and it had to be cancelled. My  husband is the oldest of five and two of his siblings live off of Long Island--his brother lives in upstate New York's Putnam County and his siter lives in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. The other two sisters live here and we usually all get together before Christmas but this year the plans were changed due to an illness and the party was rescheduled for today...and cancelled. I think we may wait till the Spring to get together as a group at this point as the Poconos and upstate New York are prone to get lots and lots of snow! Part of me was kind of happy to stay home though as I really didn't want to be driving in this weather! I was also looking forward to seeing everyone. It just would not have been safe to try and round everyone up though! AND if you remember I had mentioned about my blizzard list of foods so I got to work early this morning! Nothing makes me happier than cooking for my family.

By 6:30 am I had my slow cooker going-- cooking up a batch of pulled pork and on top of the stove I made a pot of turkey chilli. Turkey chilli is my Mom's recipe. It was originally a beef recipe,but she substituted the beef with turkey and we all liked it better! It's the only way I make my chilli now and it does save the fat calories.  I served the pulled pork on big, crusty rolls. Yummy!

I made a Mexican 7-layer dip too, and we enjoyed that downstairs in front of the fire. My son wanted me to post a photo of the fireplace because he built the fire! He's gotten quite good at it! We just have been having such a cozy day and now that evening is here, the feeling continues! Cupcakes (vanilla & chocolate) for dessert!

In my backyard...

back steps lantern

pulled pork is cooking!

cupcakes waiting to be iced!

7 Layer Dip!

fire is blazing!

They really sparkle & glisten in person!!!!

I pulled out a box of some unfinished craft projects I had and saw these candle holders I had bought a couple years back and had added little rub on transfers to.  Little cherries! SO cute! I did a few more and filled them with glitter snow and tea lights! so dainty and sparkly in person--my camera doesn't give this precious little project justice! How pretty to scatter a few out on a table for a luncheon just for a little light!

I'm gonna settle back now with my cocoa and the fire and enjoy some country decorating magazines from the past. I had gotten a load of oldies from the 90's! Country Samplers, Country Collectibles, Country Almanac and I have been enjoyed going through them! I remember when I got married in 1988 the decorating trend was country blue and everything was ducks! I had ducks everywhere! Funny how now, 23 happy years later, I'm still decorating with feathered friends---especially roosters! 

Have a great night!

Making Memories! & Happy New Year!

That's my little angel baby dressed as a cowgirl for our Girl Scout Father/Daughter dance! She was so excited to go and had so much fun square dancing! Even Daddy had a grand time! He was beaming with happiness when he left with her!

Now to back it up a little :)  Happy New Year my friends! I wish you all a healthy and happy one! I hope you can achieve all that you want to! This will be just a shortie post as I am still in the middle of getting my house back to normal after putting the Christmas items away! It's amazing the dust bunnies that like to hide around my house~~hidden beneath and behind the decorations! I put away most everything but like to keep out the snowmen and some other items that, to me, just symbolize Winter! I got lotsa goodies this Christmas and my favorite is a wood burning stove! Not a real one as I have a fireplace but one of those artificial ones. You know how you plug it in and the logs start gleaming and giving off the heat! Well, I had wanted one for a long time to put in my foyer. My husband remembered and bought that for me and it looks adorable in my foyer. I placed it on an angle and I can see it from my kitchen and eating area!!!Very cozy!

Hope you all have a cozy night! I'll be back soon!